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A call to continue rallying together

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Home Resources News A call to continue rallying together

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A call to continue rallying together

John Doe

Thank you to everyone who have generously supported the community-driven Sayang Sayang Fund. We have far surpassed our initial target of $500,000! This was made possible with help from many private individual and corporate donors who donated to the fund directly or set up their own fund-raising pages.

Transport vouchers have already gone out to healthcare professionals in hospitals and polyclinics. We will soon be supporting other community healthcare staff and charities serving those who have been impacted by precautionary measures due to COVID-19, such as vulnerable seniors and low-income families.

Ensuring A Brighter Future for Vulnerable Families and Children

Group of elderly sitting around a round table

Family of Wisdom – Caring for persons with dementia and their caregivers

Three young men playing soccer on a field, displaying teamwork, agility, and passion for the sport.

Changi Foundation – Helping youths to realise their dreams

The pandemic will be here for a while and even as the economy slows down, many charities, hit by restrictions in fund-raising efforts, have begun bearing millions of dollars in lost donations. They need our help. That is why we want to keep the Sayang Sayang Fund open, to help make sure no one falls by the wayside during this challenging period.

Your heart-warming outpouring of love truly brings to life the community spirit of the Sayang Sayang Fund. Thank you for your continuing support.

* Launched on 11 February, the Sayang Sayang Fund is a community impact fund to care for the vulnerable in our community during times of national crises.

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John Doe

The competition was organised by City Harvest Community Services Association and received support from FUN! Fund, a Community Impact Fund jointly established by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Agency for Integrated Care, with the aim of addressing social isolation among the elderly.

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development Mr Tan Kiat How attended the event. He encouraged the elderly to stay physically and mentally well, as well as urging them to participate in community activities and enjoy their golden years together.

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

现年92岁的胡锦盛是最年长的参赛者。自2017年退休后，他几乎每天都到活跃乐龄中心报到，从此爱上了玩拉密，每次可玩上三个小时，在中心是“常胜将军”。

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, CHILDREN, COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND, DONOR STORIES, FAMILIES, HEALTH, INCLUSIVITY & INTEGRATION, NEWS, PROMOTING HEALTHCARE, SAYANG SAYANG FUND, SENIORS, STORIES OF IMPACT

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Events

Colabs: doing more for persons with disabilities

John Doe

As persons with disabilities reach age 18 and exit the school system, they face new life challenges, including living their desired life and gaining access to care and support. With a keen eye on identifying opportunities to improve the lives of these individuals, we kicked off the Colabs Disability series which focused on engagement pathways and employment through catalysing cross-sector collaboration.

As part of the series, participants were recently invited to the MINDS’ Idea Employment Development Centre to understand what a sheltered employment workshop in Singapore would look like. Made up of a diverse group, including social enterprises, corporates, philanthropic institutions, government agencies and non-profits, the group bonded over a common desire to learn and do more for persons with disabilities.

Giving back to society without fuss, the Singaporean way

Children dressed in bright costumes holding props while performing on stage

UBS Diversity in Abilities Concert – Celebrating the talents of children with special needs

Bright moon illuminating serene city park.

The Funding Network (TFN)

The group took part in various work stations at MINDS, where they interacted and worked alongside their clients. On a daily basis, clients were engaged in a wide range of activities, from seeding, retail, craft and kitchen work, to the packing of edible gifts, bottled water, and disposable earphones.

Next, participants gathered to share their aspirations for persons with disabilities, and their ideas on how the current model of sheltered employment could be improved. For many in the room, it was an eye-opening experience and a great chance to explore opportunities to contribute and collaborate.

Within the context of the sheltered workshop, companies and philanthropists can:

Create greater variety in jobs in workshops, or increase the number of jobs available, by connecting sheltered workshops with potential employers to explore and implement job re-design matched to the abilities of persons with disabilities, or encouraging companies to outsource certain tasks to persons with disabilities (e.g. event decoration, gift preparation, logistics). Much of this can be enabled by education and outreach to potential partners.

Provide a variety of social activities outside of work tasks in sheltered employment workshops, through partnerships with existing non-profits.

Improve the financial sustainability of running sheltered workshops by funding wages or subsidies, providing pro-bono services or skill-based volunteering to sheltered workshops in the marketing of existing products such as bottled water, food and gifts.

Companies and philanthropists interested in understanding how to work together with MINDS can contact the Idea Employment Development Centre to explore possibilities.

If you’re interested in what can be done to support persons with disabilities and their caregivers, the DesignSingapore Council has published an ethnographic study documenting how persons with disabilities live, work and interact with society, along with an illustrated overview of services supporting persons with disabilities.

Some suggestions for collaborative solutions – based on the collective feedback of over 80 participants in the series – are outlined in the Colabs publication ‘A Call for Collaborative Giving: Bridging the Divide for Persons with Disabilities’ which can be downloaded here.

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, CHILDREN, COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND, DONOR STORIES, FAMILIES, HEALTH, INCLUSIVITY & INTEGRATION, NEWS, PROMOTING HEALTHCARE, SAYANG SAYANG FUND, SENIORS, STORIES OF IMPACT

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Events

Colabs launches Seniors series to tackle the question ‘How can our seniors live more happily in the community?’

John Doe

In October 2018, 55 representatives from the government, corporate and non-profit sectors together with a group of senior citizens, gathered to deliberate the answers to one question: How can our seniors live more happily in the community?

For everyone in the room, the inaugural session of Seniors Colabs marked the start of a new collaborative journey, with participants expected to meet regularly over a six-month period to share knowledge, build insights and find practical ways to help seniors age well. As the third and final run of a three-part Colabs series, Seniors Colabs brings people with a common desire to tackle issues around growing old in Singapore.

Building a Legacy: Michael Binger’s Philanthropic Journey in Singapore

Wheelchair-bound individuals enjoying a day at the zoo

Outing for Seniors Community Impact Fund – Bringing seniors out to improve their well-being

A woman tenderly assisting another women lying in a bed, providing care and support to ensure their well-being.

Migrants Emergency Assistance and Support (MEANS) Community Impact Fund – Helping migrant worker in need

The Lien Foundation kicked off the session with an overview of the senior care landscape. Research showed that while Singaporeans were ageing from a position of strength in terms of health and financial outcomes, higher life expectancies and declining fertility rates will mean fewer caregivers for a fast-ageing population. Given this, families will have to increasingly depend on the community for support and care in the long run.

Moving away from the broader perspective, participants at the second session in November took a human-centered approach to understand the needs of the elderly. Insights were shared by the National Council of Social Services’ “Understanding the Quality of Life for Seniors” – a study that surveyed over 1,000 seniors living in Singapore on their perceived well-being.

Results showed that in line with global trends, seniors in Singapore have a significantly lower quality of life compared with the general population. The elderly in Singapore were most keen to see improvements in their physical and psychological well-being; as well as an increase in their level of independence.

During discussions that followed, Colabs participants acknowledged that seniors in Singapore are a diverse group. Thus, having the right mindsets and assumptions determined whether services would be relevant. Most participants took a practical stance and spoke about issues around social support, caregiving, healthcare, finance and mobility. “Empathy alone does not pay the bills,” summed up a Colabs participant from a non-profit organisation.

Invigorated by passionate conversations, the Seniors Colabs community closed the year by taking the opportunity to establish connections with like-minded people across sectors.

Colabs is a philanthropic initiative by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and the Community Foundation of Singapore. It drives collaboration by bringing together the public, private and social sectors to tackle complex social issues. It enables philanthropists, businesses, non-profits and sector experts to collectively build insights and co-create solutions for lasting change.

The next session of Seniors Colabs will take place in January 2019. If you’re interested in Colabs, visit here or write to colabs@cf.org.sg.

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John Doe

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, CHILDREN, COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND, DONOR STORIES, FAMILIES, HEALTH, INCLUSIVITY & INTEGRATION, NEWS, PROMOTING HEALTHCARE, SAYANG SAYANG FUND, SENIORS, STORIES OF IMPACT

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Stories Of Impact

IFPAS Renews Partnership with CFS, Commits $200,000 to IFPAS Love Fund

September 16, 2024

In celebration of their 55th Anniversary, the Insurance and Financial Practitioners Association of Singapore (IFPAS) extended their commitment to the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) by pledging an additional $200,000 over the next five years to their donor-advised fund (DAF), named the ‘IFPAS Love Fund’.

At the handshake ceremony between CFS and IFPAS, IFPAS President, Mr Ng Eng Beow, expressed his gratitude and vision for the partnership. He said, “Insurance is rooted in love. Love motivates us to protect ourselves and our loved ones. The IFPAS Love Fund was established seven years ago to channel our love to the wider community, and CFS has been our trusted partner in reaching out to those who need our help and support. We appreciate this collaboration, and we are excited for the future possibilities.”

Celebrating 15 Years of Impact: CFS Annual Report 2024

Secure And Impactful Philanthropy: CFS Clinches Cyber Essentials Mark

Set up during the covid-19 pandemic, Sayang Sayang Fund raised $9.7m over three years, supporting over 400,000 lives
应疫情设立 Sayang Sayang基金三年筹970万元惠及40万人

IFPAS Love Fund was established in 2017 with the goal to enhance the organisation’s philanthropic efforts and create a sustainable platform for giving back to the community. To date, the fund has surpassed its initial target, disbursing a total of $225,000 towards programmes supporting children with special needs, disadvantaged communities, and healthcare initiatives.

Charities supported by the fund included SHINE Children and Youth Services, Dyslexia Association of Singapore, Special Needs Trust Company, the National Kidney Foundation, SPD, Down Syndrome Association (Singapore) as well as Daughters of Tomorrow.

We are very grateful for the support of IFPAS over the past seven years. Through their generosity, many individuals have received subsidised dialysis treatment, children from lower-income families have benefited from literacy programmes, and people with disabilities have received work integration support. IFPAS has truly made a significant impact on the lives of those in need.

Ms Catherine Loh, CEO of CFS

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to IFPAS on 55 years of remarkable service. We look forward to continuing our partnership and working together to create a more caring and resilient society.

CFS offers personalised advice to help private and corporate donors achieve their philanthropic goals. Discover how you can begin your journey with us here: https://cf.org.sg/donors/how-we-assist-donors/.

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, CHILDREN, COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND, DONOR STORIES, FAMILIES, HEALTH, INCLUSIVITY & INTEGRATION, NEWS, PROMOTING HEALTHCARE, SAYANG SAYANG FUND, SENIORS, STORIES OF IMPACT

Stories Of Impact

LEAD Academy – Empowering youths to lead and influence

John Doe

The LEAD Academy was set up in 2014 as a collaboration between CampVision, UBS Singapore and the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) to impact marginalised youths in neighbourhood schools.

LEAD provides a platform that partners youths with professional volunteers to develop self-leadership abilities and cultivate effective communication skills. The aim is to empower youths to be an effective leader of their peers and a positive influence on others. This unique programme puts youths on a shared journey of equals guided by executive leadership coaches who create an engaging and transformational learning experience for them and their mentors.

Improving Employability: Creating Opportunities for All

Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Fund – Nurturing future generations of musicians

A group of musicians passionately performing on stage, captivating the audience with their melodious tunes.

Celebrating the journey home through music

Through a series of structured facilitated sessions by the coaches, youths and volunteers learn to own their personal feelings and manage their individual confidence physiology. They also learn verbal and non-verbal communication skills and how to engage with other adult volunteers. Both youths and volunteers set personal goals – relating to leadership and communication – that need to be achieved when they graduate in six months’ time. At every session, they meet in small groups to hold one another accountable for their actions.

During the journey, youths have been observed to increasingly gain confidence in themselves. They take on opportunities to lead games, speak in front of their peers and practise small talk with adult strangers. The youths also interact and engage with different working professional volunteers who represent a broad range of professions including banking, sales, legal, marketing, technology, HR and the military.

“CFS has been instrumental in facilitating the partnership between CampVision and UBS. We would not have been able to achieve the impact with LEAD without the support of CFS. They have also been helpful in helping us to better understand the youth landscape so we can focus our efforts on the relevant youth population,” said Yeo Suan Wei, Co-founder of CampVision.

LEAD is an affirming, safe and empowering community of youths and professionals who find the courage to be vulnerable in their efforts to be better individuals. The connections that are built through the LEAD journey broaden the youths’ exposure and their world view. These connections also contribute towards the building of social capital between two groups of people who may otherwise not cross paths and be personally impacted by each other. LEAD aims to continue its impactful run by engaging and empowering 70 youths and 70 volunteers each year.

Photos: CampVision